Tools of the trade, part 2

Will we ever know the true story of this fabled guitar? For some it’s iconic, for others it was simply a cobbled together working tool for a master…

Fender’s Custom Shop had a precarious start in the mid-1980s, but the story of its formative years is full of big ideas, some bizarre instruments, and a queue of famous guitarists

EPIPHONE JEFF BECK OXBLOOD 1954 LES PAUL £1,199

Gibson Les Paul Music City Special £1,599

Can this early 60s Gibson Southern Jumbo be saved or has it gone belly up?

Nearly 40 years on from the Custom Shop’s inception, its creations are more ambitious than ever. Find out how the team walks the tightrope between ‘canon’ and ‘cannot’, and where its guitars are heading next